get pushed #13 - the fall scene of life

partner and i have a debate after he sees me processing this photo. i tell him we (partner and i) are in the 'fall' of our life. he begs to differ: he says we are in the winter of our life. maybe he thinks that way because he's almost 70 and in a few months' time i'll hit the big six-o. but i believe the rules of life, with better understanding of our health and how we take care of ourselves, have changed. now that people live longer, the new "culture of youth" has shifted mid-life from 40 to 50. what do you think?

in any case, dave @dlaxton is my pusher this week for the get pushed challenge. the challenge he has set for me is to show the "fall season of life". that's kinda hard to photograph, dave; i should have given you a more difficult challenge. :-)

at the park, i have taken a photo of this red maple leaf that falls onto the grass. the maple leaf represents partner and myself, who are in the autumn of our lives, when the two of us are no longer attached to the tree (our children, our responsibility); when we are older but not too old to enjoy life. the green grass could be the new and different opportunities that we yet have to find and explore. that's my story and i'm sticking to it.

here's a little ditty that is playing in my brain's iPod all day. it's actually my favourite song in the whole wide world.

what are you doing the rest of your life
north and south and east and west of your life
i have only one request of your life
that you spend it all with me
all the seasons and the times of your days
all the nickels and the dimes of your days
let the reason and the rhymes of your days
all begin and end with me.
i want to see your face in every kind of light
in fields of gold and forest of the night
and when you stand before the candles on a cake
oh, let me be the one to hear the silent wish you make
those tomorrows waiting deep in your eyes
all the warmth of love you keep in your eyes
i'll awaken what's that sleep in your eyes
it may take a kiss or two
through all of my life
summer, winter, spring and the fall of my life
all i ever will recall of my life
is all of my life with you.
-bergman, bergman and legrand

goodnight, folks. have a nice weekend!

[karenann]

This is so beautiful ... that whole comment and song have made me teary-eyed. Now when someone gets emotional upon seeing your photo, you know that you've achieved what you set out to do. :)

[Sally Ings]

Love that pop of red on the green background! Wonderful simple composition!

[summerfield]

ooops! forgot to tag dave. @dlaxton

[summerfield]

@karenann - KA, we need to go for a drink, girlfriend. thank you for your kind words. am so grateful.

[summerfield]

@salza - thank you, sally.

[Dave]

You nailed it! Congrats. And thanks for your wisdom as I am at the same age(s) that you and your partner are. It is indeed a separating time of life and I DO hope it is the new middle-age! Definitely not winter!

[summerfield]

@dlaxton - thank you, dave. no, definitely not winter. i think we are so unlike our predecessors. when i was a little girl, we had this grand-aunts who looked bent, old, white haired and wrinkly. learning they died in their late 60's, i computed my age and my parents' to compare with those 'grand-aunts' and they were only 16 or 18 years older than my parents (my father is 30 years older than me). these grand-aunts married young as well as their own children. as soon as their children had children they automatically believed they're old, acted old and dressed old. it was because culture and tradition expected them to turn old as soon as the children marry. far cry from me running around the park with my grandsons calling me 'lola' or 'grandmere' and people are shocked because they thought they were my children and i looked young to be a grandmother. the only time i think i am old is when i have a backache, otherwise i think 16, act 35, and eat like a pig!

[Peter de Graaff]

The autumn of your life. I don't think so. Look at the a Rolling Stones. Anyone who was a baby boomer remains in spring

[Dave]

@summerfield - I totally agree. I am in fear of the soon-to-come times when I will need to remind myself not to do something I have been doing for 50 years. Fortunately, those times have not hit yet. My Mom told me that it never bothered her when she reached 70 and even 80 years old ... but it really bothered her when she realized she had a son over 60 LOL ... It has finally stopped raining here and I have a definite plan to take the night city shot tonight. Haven't found anyone homeless yet. I guess that's a blessing.

[alia_801]

Beautiful colours and deep thoughts :)

[summerfield]

@peterdegraaff - hahaha! methinks the rolling stones are in denial. that mick jagger's hip break just a little and he'd soon have a replacement party. i guess you're a rolling stones fan, i shouldn't diss then. thank you, peter.

[Peter de Graaff]

@summerfield I am a fan of everyone, but saw them on the TV last night and thought they must be cracking 70 and are still rocking.

[summerfield]

@dlaxton - hahaha! i am with your mother. i have friends who'd turn 30 and it's a big deal to them, like the world is about to change. so you can imagine how the older ones are freaking out over 50 and the fact that i'm a few months shy of what they call the big 6-0! meanwhile i can't wait to qualify for senior's discount!

[summerfield]

@alia_801 - thank you, alia. much appreciated.

[summerfield]

@peterdegraaff - good for them! and that's what i'm sayin'. we don't have to be old even if our age says so, as long as we can still walk, run, skip, hop, gyrate, on our own. as partner's mother once said to one of her great-grandchildren after winning playing cards with them: "i'm just old, you know; i'm not dead yet!"

[Ann H. LeFevre]

Nice shot Vikki- I am a very mixed up seasonal person I think- I feel like I'm going through all 4 at the same time! My mind is in Spring, my perspective tends to stay in the Summer, my chronological status is Fall, and my body is definitely in Winter! No wonder I can't figure out what I want to be when I grow up yet! As for the Stones- they remind me of women who think they can still dress like a 20 something but it just makes them look older. Doesn't mean anything about their music (although I never cared one way or another there), but they do look OLD! And yes- they're heading into their 70's shortly. But- I'd rather see them keep going (anybody for that matter) than just quit. All this to say that the Baby Boomer generation has definitely changed the way we see the seasons of life. And all this philosophy from a nice shot of a red leaf. Well done!

[Dixie Goode]

My great grandmothers both lived to be 98 and so I always thought of 49 as middle age. That is my age now and it feels much older in the morning and late at night than it does in the middle of the day. I love that song and your picture is very vivid and Pretty.

[Camille Bisson]

we are destined to bring each other to tears, my friend. outstanding in every way possible, beautiful capture, coupled with the perfect quote, and your touching, honest narrative. fav.

[summerfield]

@olivetreeann - "women who think they can still dress like a 20 something but it just makes them look older" - i know, there's a lot around here in toronto as i'm sure in other places, too. i still wear the same conservative style of clothes - collared, long sleeves with cuffs that i can fold short, pencil or a-line skirts. the only thing i gave up which i used to love are those big shoulder pads, it took me a long time before i gave them up. hahahaha! so technically i can say i still dress up like i was in my 20's but those never really went out of style (they didn't, right? hehehe). the other 2 things that i don't wear anymore are the mini-skirt and high heels. i leave those to the young ones. thank heavens i work in an office and i get to wear suits, then again my younger co-workers wear tights (horrors!). thank you, ann.

[summerfield]

@pandorasecho - thank you, dixie. there's something about the light of day, isn't it? i may feel like 35 during the day but when going to bed now, i mind the drafts and temperature, i have to sleep in this and that position otherwise i'd wake up in the morning with a neck pain, a back ache and some other problems. we are in a very fun age!

[summerfield]

@catsmeowb - sorry there, girlfriend. didn't mean to make you sappy and all. but you know the first time i hear that song in high school it just hit me and i thought it was really a beautiful poem and the music was just apt. i always recommend it to my friends who got married to play it during their wedding. thank you, camille.

[Camille Bisson]

ok, to the left, right between my shoulder blades, i feel like i have a giant, hot spider on my back that i just can't shake. it has been there since the 2nd day i got my nikon. was out back, crouched down, twisted around taking a great shot and lola came bombing out of the woods and ran right into me and knocked me over. all i can say is i did not drop my camera. i can't walk to my mail box without losing my breath. it is getting better but it is slow work. so, most days i feel 2000 years old these days. can't even breathe. BUT - i know what the problem is. all i have to do is keep moving, sit up straight, exercise, stretch gently and i am ok. it is that keep moving that is difficult. now i have this beautiful song in my head. will sing it to malcolm later while we are in the car while we head out shopping. oh, and the only time i have FELT old before my back hurt was when i grew out my hair and had roots and my son, jason, told me it was time to dye my hair because i looked old. not trying to be a jerk here, but sometimes gay guys can be asses about appearance.

[summerfield]

@catsmeowb - yes we just have to keep moving because if we give in to the pain, it will conquer our bodies and then we'll all be twisted (nuff that our brains are bwahahaha!) and deformed like the driftwoods we like to photograph.

[Kathy Burzynski]

Oh this is so good! No way are you winter! Tell him that you are right and he IS WRONG because Kathy said so! I like to think I'm in summer of my life (I LOVE SUMMER) but only God really knows. I'm early 50's and have 12 grandchildren. I feel young, and energetic (most of the time). A few years ago I asked my granddaughter if she thought I was hold (she was about 10 at the time). Her answer to me "well, you are a grandmother you know!"

[Netkonnexion]

Lovely autumnal shot.

[Ann H. LeFevre]

@summerfield the mini skirts and high heels are what I'm talking about- oh and the plunging neck lines too.

[bkb in the city]

What a great contrasting shot Summerfield

[Tara]

This is very nice! I really like the contrast of the beautiful red against the green. Well done!

[summerfield]

@myhrhelper - hahaha! thank you, kathy. 12 grands???? i hope they don't ask you to babysit all 12 at the same time!

@netkonnexion - thank you, damon.

@olivetreeann - yes, we leave those for the young ones not for us young once.

@bkbinthecity - thank you, brian.

@tara11 - thank you, tara.